


White lies

by Flexor



Category: RWBY
Genre: Body Horror, Corporate greed, Industrial accidents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-10-04
Packaged: 2018-04-24 18:39:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4930846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flexor/pseuds/Flexor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Weiss is separated from her teammates. On her way back to Beacon, she meets a former employee of her father's company.</p>
            </blockquote>





	White lies

**Author's Note:**

> Well writing Yang was fun. May as well do another one. Weiss' turn this time.
> 
> Quiz time. The first person to tell me who the man in this story is named after, wins three Internet points.

"No, don't worry, I'm good. Are you sure you can handle it at your end?"

Ruby's voice came over Weiss' phone. "Already have, they all ran away. Really, we can come look for you. Safety in numbers, remember?"

"Even if some of those numbers are a bit smaller than the others? Look, I can see the Tower from here. I don't _need_ a babysitter, and I can do with a bit of time on my own."

"Weiss..."

In one syllable Ruby made clear she thought Weiss was spending enough time on her own already, and should get out more. Little interfering... Weiss took a deep breath and smiled sadly. Friend.

"Don't you worry about me, Ruby. I'll be fine. Just a nice relaxing run back to Beacon. Save me a piece of chocolate cake will you?"

"I will, Weiss. Just be back before Blake sniffs it out, okay?"

There was an affronted "Hey!" from Blake in the background. Weiss imagined Ruby turning away from Blake and Yang. There were signs of wicked laughter in her voice.

"And if there's any trouble..."

"I'll call you. Remember. Chocolate. It's the most important thing in the world."

"You're saying that like I don't know!" Ruby giggled. "See you tonight."

 

 

Weiss put away her phone and looked round, breathing in the healthy fresh forest air. She pulled out her phone again, checked the compass on it and set off at a light jog to the North-west. This was a quiet piece of forest. It was mostly used by the Academy to train hunters, which meant that Grimm, the predatory animals of Darkness, were in rather short supply. She wasn't likely to run into any unless she went looking. Still, there was an important difference between 'little chance' and 'no chance', so Weiss was on her guard as she flitted between the trees, a bright figure in the shadows.

The sun had gone down and the stars had come out when Weiss reached a large open plain some ten miles away from Beacon Academy. She was getting hungry now, and quite looking forward to having whatever the kitchen could produce out of hours, with maybe the prospect of chocolate cake in the RWBY dorm. She wasn't getting her hopes up too high though. Chocolate cake was a hot item, with a very low survival chance.

Weiss' eyes narrowed. Some five, six hundred yards away, something was moving. Weiss strained, trying to see what it was. It looked about as large as a young Ursa, but as it moved, she could see it was wearing a hooded cloak. Human then. Weiss set off across the plains. The human form was in her path, so she made for it, unafraid. Her Huntress' training meant that anyone trying something with her would probably come out the worse. She'd been on a mission when she got separated from her teammates, so Weiss was armed for Ursa.

Something in the wind made her look up. A dark winged shape flew over her, visible only where it blotted out the stars. Weiss' left hand automatically went to her weapon, but the Nevermore wasn't making for her. Instead, it was swooping down on the cloaked figure. Weiss was too far away still to do anything. She shouted.

"Look out!"

The man turned round quickly, and raised an arm. The entire Nevermore suddenly glowed a dull red, then disappeared in a flash and a shower of ashes. Weiss took a short breath and ran towards the man. He turned towards her, looking at her.

"Are you alright?"

"Quite alright. I don't know why these birds keep trying. I must look particularly good to them." The man laughed. "Which is nice."

Weiss looked him up and down. He was wearing dark clothes made out of some raw fabric. His face was hidden in his hood, showing only his chin and red spots of light where his eyes should be. He was looking at Weiss.

"Well... Good evening," said Weiss. "I'm Weiss Schnee. Pleased to meet you."

"People call me many things." The man considered. "Nothing I would repeat to a lady. You may call me Boyle. And I already know who you are. Your picture was shown on all the displays in the mine when you joined Beacon."

"You work for Schnee Dust Company?"

"I did. But not anymore. There was an accident."

"Accident?" Weiss' expression hardened. People who caused accidents were not in her good books.

"Yes. There was an explosion, and I got caught."

Boyle pulled back his hood and let it drop. Weiss couldn't help staring, her mouth hanging open. Boyle's face was... gone, mostly. The skin around his eyes was still there, in the shape of the protective goggles he might have worn when it happened. The rest of his head was bare bone. One of his cheeks was missing, showing his teeth. Weiss tighened her stomach and forced herself to keep looking into Boyle's eyes. Boyle gave her an amused nod and pulled his hood back up.

"My cabin is not far away. Would you like some tea?"

Weiss swallowed. "I'd love to."

 

 

They arrived at Boyle's cabin. Boyle, thinking that he'd given Weiss enough time to get used to his ruggedly handsome looks, took off his cloak and put it on the peg. Weiss looked round. The cabin was small. A bed up against the wall. Table. Cupboard. Fireplace. Kitchen. The most striking thing was that it was _tidy_. There was a place for everything, and everything was in its place. Boyle walked over to the fireplace, dropped in a few logs, and held his hand over them. The logs burst into flame. He turned round.

"Are you hungry?"

"Umm..." Weiss really wanted to excuse herself, but that would be rude, and besides, her stomach was growling.

"Sit down. I'll make us something."

Boyle put the kettle on, and took a hunk of meat out of the cupboard, which he sliced into thin cuts as the tea brewed. Weiss watched him, hands round her tea mug. It smelled like herbal tea with a hint of strawberries.

"What happened?"

Boyle looked at her over his shoulder, showing the good side of his face.

"We were mining red Dust, when there was a death cloud. Sometimes in the mine, you hit pockets of pressurised Dust, and when you breach the chamber, it comes blowing out. So we all run like hell, because if it ignites, you're done for. And then you wait for the Dust to settle, and that's usually a good day because you can get your entire quota with just a dustpan and brush."

Weiss nodded, as Boyle pulled out a pair of wooden plates and put them on the table. He produced a loaf of bread and put that next to the plates.

"But Foreman Lussac got greedy, the bastard. He wouldn't wait, and sent us in with the suction hose while the air was still full of red Dust. Something made a spark. Three of my mates got turned to... impurities. I was back guiding the hose in, so I just got blasted, and got two lungs full of red. I _became_ red Dust that day."

Weiss looked at Boyle incredulously. She knew exactly how dangerous airborne dust was. Ruby had caught a nose full of the stuff the day they met. The sneeze had almost burnt her to a crisp.

"Surely, there's regulations against that? Proper safety precautions?"

Boyle sat down across from Weiss. He gestured at the food.

"Eat." He put a few slices of meat on bread and bit into it. Weiss looked at her plate as she noticed Boyle had to tilt his head to keep the food from falling out of his mouth as he chewed.

"Mentioning rules and regulations in the mine is a sure way to get fired. Safety precautions and proper equipment are expensive." Boyle gave Weiss a look. "Workers are cheap. Lussac had four to replace us within the hour."

"At least they got you this cabin. It's nice."

"Built that myself. Schnee Dust was very nice though, they didn't sue me for killing my mates." Boyle's voice shook. "They allowed me to leave and keep my honour."

Weiss scowled. "They should have given you the best medical attention money could buy. This is outrageous."

"Remember, young Miss Schnee. SDC may be the biggest Dust company around, but they do have competitors, and they do have their bottom line to think of. Medical help is expensive. Throwing me out into the wild is cheap."

"I won't stand for this. Let me get in touch with my people, and I'll get you all the medical attention you need."

"Yes, and then everyone will be able to see how gracious SDC is to their former employees who are lucky enough to run into the Boss' daughter. There's hundreds of us, Miss Schnee. Thousands if you count the dead. Just _finding_ all of us is impossible."

Weiss blinked. "There must be something I can do."

Boyle shook his head. "Schnee Dust Company is all about money. They produce the Dust that powers the Four Kingdoms. Is everybody going to be a bit more careful? Drive a bit less?" Boyle pointed at Weiss' weapon. "Not fill up that rapier when you go out to fight?"

Weiss looked away.

"I'm comfortable here. I have my cabin. I can walk these forests. And I know more about the Grimm than anyone alive."

"We get taught all about Grimm at Beacon," said Weiss, putting another slice of meat on a piece of bread. While of course not as refined as the food they got at Beacon, it was pretty good, with a dash of salt and some hot sauce.

"But they don't teach you what they taste like." Boyle leant over to Weiss. "And I just have. The nice thing with Grimm meat is that it dissolves before it goes off, so you don't need a cold-box."

Weiss' hand stopped half-way to her mouth. Her eyes turned down to the sandwich in her hand, then back up to Boyle. Then, with a to-hell-with-this look, she took another bite. It _still_ tasted nice.

Boyle leant back in his chair. "I like you, Miss Schnee." His expression darkened. "But I'd rather _die_ than have to thank Schnee for anything ever again. Except for you, they're a bunch of greedy bastards, thinking only of money. And they don't give a damn about anything else."

Weiss pushed away her plate, empty. Her ice blue eyes looked straight into Boyle's glowing red ones.

"That's not all the Schnee Company is about, Mr. Boyle."

"Really? What else is there?"

"There is _me_ ," said Weiss. "When I get old enough to throw some weight around, there'll be some changes made."

"I doubt it," said Boyle. "You're young. When you get older, the first thing to go is caring about people. I'm glad I met you now, and not when you've become just as heartless a bitch as the rest of them."

"Watch me, Mr. Boyle."

"I'd love to, but I'm thirty years old. I won't see thirty-five. Having half your body replaced with Dust isn't exactly healthy."

"I..." Weiss stopped. What could she say to this man? Promises were meaningless. With all the wealth she commanded, there was nothing she could give him. She pushed back her chair.

"I suppose I'd better get on. People are waiting. Thank you for the food. It was, um, interesting."

Boyle reached out and put a withered hand on Weiss' arm.

"I hope I'm wrong about you, Weiss Schnee. I really do."

Weiss slowly nodded, smiled. Then, without another word, she left and set off for Beacon.

 

 

Weiss poked Ruby's shoulder. Ruby pushed up her red-glowy-eyed sleeping mask and looked up at Weiss. A happy smile was on her face.

"You're back! Oh, I'm so glad. Not that I doubted you for a second, but I was getting a bit worried. Thank goodness you're home safe."

"Where's my chocolate cake?"

Ruby's silvery eyes grew large and liquid. "It disappeared. Someone must have taken it while I wasn't watching. One moment it was there, waiting for you, and then it was gone. I don't know how. I'm so sorry, Weiss."

Weiss tapped her upper lip. Ruby stuck her finger in her mouth and rubbed away the brown spot on her face. "Gone?"

"Gone. Night, Ruby."

"Night, Weiss."

Weiss put on her pajamas and got into bed, careful not to disturb Blake, who was asleep in the bed below her. Her face became still, sad, quiet, resolved. She thought of herself, a few years from now. What could happen to her, that she would simply leave a fellow human being to rot away in a lonely cabin in the woods, surrounded by wild animals?

"Nothing," she whispered, a promise to nobody but herself. "Nothing at all."


End file.
